A strategy for discovering heavy neutrinos

Abstract

We discuss collisions of two equally charged leptons l − l − or l + l +, with l = e, μ, where the exchange of heavy neutrino flavors induces the lepton-flavour-violating transitions to a pair of equally charged gauge bosons, W − W − or W + W +. In the center-of-mass energy region well above W pair production threshold, but below the heavy neutrino mass, acceptable mass and mixing parameters for the heavy neutrino flavor lead to cross sections of a size and energy dependence that permit a clear detection of lepton flavor violation; the resulting signal constitutes a unique discovery channel for TeV-level Majorana neutrinos.